Middle Eastern organizations have made strong progress in data sovereignty, investing heavily in regional infrastructure and residency controls. However, this progress masks critical governance gaps. While 56% recognize third-party AI risks, only 19% have effective controls in place. Disparities between UAE and Saudi Arabia further fragment readiness, particularly in AI incident response and supply chain security. Without stronger vendor controls, automation, and incident response maturity, sovereignty efforts risk becoming superficial—failing to protect how data is actually accessed, processed, and secured in real-world AI environments.

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